Questions Surround Hanging of Kenyan Man in Jersey City

BY REBECCA SHEEHAN

A park visitor enjoying her daily walk outdoors got more than she bargained for in Jersey City?s Lafayette Park. Besides for a relaxing day enjoying the peace and quiet of the park, she instead found the body of Jeffrey Kililibwa dangling from a tree.

?Police arrived at scene and discovered a Kenyan man in his 60s suspended from the tree on the west side of the park,? Hudson County Prosecutor's Office spokesman, Gene Rubino, told a media briefing. ?He was taken to Jersey City Medical Center where he was pronounced dead on arrival.?

Nelson Mogesha, long time friend of the deceased, believes that this investigation needs to handled carefully and that all the facts need to be examined that may have led to the hanging of Kililibwa, 61.

?His hands were bound with a rope. That?s not how people hang themselves,? said Mogesha also noting that had just been relieved of his job in a city mall and this weighed heavily on him. ?We must know the truth. He was not himself. I think there were other issues but the loss of his job was the straw that broke the camel?s back.?


A 33-year-old Kenyan man shot dead his mother in law before turning the gun on himself in Bethlehem, Georgia.

A 21-year-old Felix Achoch died from injuries inflicted in a beating by several assailants in the US city of Indianapolis, Indiana.

A 32-year-old Kenyan man died after being shot in mysterious circumstances in Dallas, Texas.

http://www.nation.co.ke/News/Kenyan-h ... 858/-/uwk8av/-/index.html

Police in Jersey city, New Jersey, have launched investigations into the circumstances leading to the death of a Kenyan man whose body was found hanging on a tree in one of the city?s parks.

On Tuesday, the body of Jeffrey Kililibwa, 61, was discovered dangling from a tree by a passerby in Lafayette Park.

Hudson County Prosecutor's Office spokesman, Gene Rubino, told a media briefing that Jersey City Police received a call from a woman taking her morning walk near Lafayette Park who said she saw a man hanging from a tree.

?Police arrived at scene and discovered a Kenyan man in his 60s suspended from the tree on the west side of the park,? Rubino said. ?He was taken to Jersey City Medical Center where he was pronounced dead on arrival,? added Rubino.

Although the police said they did not suspect foul play in the death, pressure is mounting from the Kenyan Community in New Jersey who want full investigations carried out saying the manner in which Mr Kilibwa died was suspect. ?His hands were bound with a rope. That?s not how people hang themselves. We must know the truth,? said Nelson Mogesha, long time friend of the deceased.

It has also emerged that a day before he died, Mr Kilibwa had been held at a New Jersey police station after being found walking the city streets in what his friend described as ?a confused state of mind?.

And according to Mr Mogesha, the deceased had just been relieved of his job in a city mall and this weighed heavily on him. ?He was not himself. I think there were other issues but the loss of his job was the straw that broke the camel?s back,? said Mogesha.

Police at the Livingstone Police station, where Kilibwa was held, are looking for a woman whom they say is the acquaintance who came for him. ?She is a person of interest as she introduced herself as his friend and the police released him to her,? said Mogesha.

The latest incident comes only days after a 33-year-old Kenyan man shot dead his mother in law before turning the gun on himself in Bethlehem, Georgia.

In the same week, 21-year-old Felix Achoch died from injuries inflicted in a beating by several assailants in the US city of Indianapolis, Indiana.

And early last week, a 32-year-old Kenyan man died after being shot in mysterious circumstances in Dallas, Texas.

[quote]
AlexC wrote:
I'm sorry, where did the Nuevo Laredo comparison come from? It looks like a suicide.

[quote]

There were earlier "reports"/word of mouth that his hands were tied behind his back. Hence the Nuevo Laredo comment. It's still awful and sad nonetheless.

http://www.google.com/search?q=nuevo+ ... UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari

I'm sorry, where did the Nuevo Laredo comparison come from? It looks like a suicide.

Quote:

Quote:

I know what you mean. The surge in shootings has been troubling enough. But this was initially being described as something you might find in Nuevo Laredo.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... html#incart_river_default

in a sense im glad it wasnt what was reported earlier but none the less terrible!

Ok, now there is a report....

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... als_say.html#incart_river

The latest I have heard on this (Ie: Urban Concerns FB feed) is that the man was 64 years old, and not bound or beaten as earlier reported. It is considered a likely suicide.

Again, no documented news report or anything other than rumor mill (although from a member of the community who generally knows what he is talking about).

I heard about this through Bruce Alston of Urban Concerns, but I do not know where he learned of it. Absolutely frightening if it is true.

I heard about the naked dude running around but not a dude in a tree.

I have gotten lots of word of mouth reports that a man was found hanging from a tree in the park by 22 school - two different people who do not know each other told me that they heard this story as well. One person said the man had his hands tied behind his back - totally unsure of what is going on but wondering if anyone else heard anything